The Walls of Gryffindor
by MarchoftheDemented
Summary: After disappearing for a month, Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts. However, he is not the same person that his friends know and love, and they're desperate to tear down the walls that Harry has built up around himself - especially Ginny.
1. A Curious Return

Chapter One: A Curious Return  
  
Five weeks. It had been five weeks (one month, a week, and a day since the Halloween Hogsmeade trip, in fact) since the last time anybody had seen Harry Potter. Nobody really knew where he was, though most of the students speculated that he had been captured and killed by Death Eaters. That is to say, very few people at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry knew where he was. Certain Slytherin students with rather influential parents had a reason to feel smug, for their parents told them that Harry had indeed been captured by Deatheaters, though he certainly wasn't dead. The important thing was that nobody who truly cared about Harry Potter knew where he was, and the Slytherins that did know intended to keep them in the dark. For Gryffindor students Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Ginny Weasley, the last five weeks were torturous, a (seemingly) never-ending affair of never knowing whether their friend (or love interest, as was the case for Ginny) was alright, or even alive. In the time that had passed since Harry had disappeared, the beleaguered Gryffindors mentioned started to develop the pale faces and ringed-eyes that were trademark of Harry Potter. They knew that even Headmaster Dumbledore had no idea where he might be, though he had informed them that he had some of his most trusted agents combing Great Britain for any sign of the Boy Who Lived. The fact that one of the said wizards had suddenly turned up missing-in-action was of no comfort at all.  
  
So it was that five weeks and a day after Ron and Hermione had reported to the Headmaster that Harry had not returned from Hogsmeade, they were to be found in the Great Hall for dinner, trying to make Ron's younger sister Ginny eat.  
  
"Please, Ginny, you have to eat something!" Hermione said in exasperation. Ginny just sat there miserably, looking at her full plate of food, neither picking up her fork nor responding to Hermione's pleading.  
  
"Leave her alone, Hermione. It's not as though you're eating much yourself," Ron said, though he spoke so low that only Hermione or Ginny could have heard him. The last few weeks had taken their toll on him; had he been in a right state of mind, he would have insulted her for not minding her own business. Of course, Hermione was not up for an argument in her condition either, and merely gave him a withering look before returning to her own meal.  
  
Ginny looked up at the Staff Table, to see that Professor Dumbledore was also not inclined to eat this evening. Instead, he seemed to be in a pensive mood, with both of his arms propping his chin up. Even Professor Snape hadn't seemed quite as nasty lately, with his favorite victim now missing for over a month. A loud snickering from behind her caused Ginny to turn toward the Slytherin Table, the only table where anybody had the gall to be jovial during mealtimes. The whole school had felt Gryffindor's loss, as Harry Potter was always a shining beacon of hope for the non- Slytherin students – whenever he wasn't being used as a scapegoat for some weird happening or another, that is.  
  
"Cads," Ginny thought mutinously, "They all know where he is. They all know, and none of them will ever say anything...". Her eyes stun as a fresh wave of tears was fighting to escape. She blinked several times, and turned back to her own table in time to see Ron charming his mashed potatoes to fly. She had to duck to avoid the missile, though it cleared the other two House Tables with little difficulty and found a new home on top of Draco Malfoy's overly-large head. This stopped the laughter at the Slytherin table and caused a tidal-wave of laughter at the other three House Tables. Only the Gryffindor's actually saw who sent the potatoes flying, and Ron's plate immediately filled up with more potatoes from the Kitchens, so nobody made any accusations. Professor Dumbledore was suddenly on his feet, not because of the unaccustomed lightheartedness in the Great Hall, but because 4 men had suddenly entered the Great Hall. Or, rather, two men had entered the Great Hall, one of them dragging the unconscious third man, while the other held the fourth, shortest man out in front of him, holding a knife up to his throat. Ginny recognized the unconscious man as Lucius Malfoy, though he was bleeding heavily out of his nose and his left eye was very dark. Ginny didn't know who the short man was, though she noticed that his hand appeared to be made of... silver? It took a few moments before she was able to determine who his captor was, but then remembered the photo from the Daily Prophet, and the time he tried to kill Ron... "Sirius Black!" she heard somebody shriek. It took her a moment to realize that the voice she heard was her own.  
  
"Shut up, Ginny!" Ron hissed at her, but it was too late – half of the school had already echoed Ginny.  
  
"Ron! What's the matter with you? He's –..."  
  
"Harry!" Hermione cried out. Ginny's heart leapt up into her throat, and turned back to the entryway, expecting to see her hero deliver them from the clutches of Sirius Black and...  
  
"Come to think of it, why would Sirius Black and... that other guy be dragging Death Eater's into the Great Hall at knife point?" Ginny thought to herself, "And who is that other man? He looks like..." Ginny cut off her thoughts as she studied this stranger. "He looks like... Harry... the messy hair, the green eyes, but... Harry..."  
  
Ginny knew that he could not be Harry. The Harry she knew had eyes full of adventure and kindness. This... thing... that was wearing Harry's features could not be her Harry – his eyes looked as dead as Cedric Diggory's had after the Tri-Wizard Tournament ended.  
  
It was a few moments after Ginny decided that he was not Harry, when the room erupted with voices shouting Stunning spells and aiming them at the entrance. The imposter-Harry stepped in front of Black protectively, dropped the elder Malfoy, and screamed out an incantation. He held no wand in his hand; he wouldn't stand a chance . Just when the first Stunners should have reached their target, a field of pure energy emitted from the imposters hand, absorbing the hundred-odd Stunners and protecting him and Sirius Black.  
  
The room fell silent, not a person moving. To be able to conjure a Shield that powerful, and without a wand! This Harry-imposter must have been very powerful, possibly more so than Professor Dumbledore...  
  
The silence was cut by a scream of rage from the Slytherin table, where Draco Malfoy had just noticed his captive father. He let off a salvo of curses at the imposter, none of which ever reached their target. The imposter walked forward, shield deflecting all of Draco's attacks. Malfoy drew back, but not quickly enough; the imposter shot out his free arm and seized Malfoy by the throat. With more strength than any child of 15 could ever manage, he threw Draco high into the air. The imposter held his hand out in front of him, where wisps of power caressed his fingers. He mentally shaped it into orbs, and fired them into Draco's descending form. Though the attack didn't seem to do much damage, the few orbs that missed their mark exploded violently when they came into contact with the walls. With a sickening crunch, Malfoy landed on his arm, unconscious.  
  
Harry may have despised Malfoy, but Ginny knew that he would never attack any student so violently. He was compassionate, and would never... do that! Ginny didn't even try to stop her tears from flowing, as she saw that this monster was not her Harry, but some demon come to torment her over his absence.  
  
The imposter was moving again, toward the immobile form of Malfoy, preparing, no doubt, to finish him off. He stopped, knelt down next to his opponent, held his hand out, and muttered another incantation. Ginny prepared to duck beneath the table in case Draco's death was a messy one, when she noticed that Malfoy was stirring under the magic that the imposter was working.  
  
"He's back," Hermione said quietly, with a very tiny smile on her face. Ron's face mirrored Hermione's, as he quietly said his friends name for the first time in weeks. Ginny briefly entertained the notion that they were both insane, when she realized that no Demon would actually heal his opponents. This was something that... Harry would do... Her heart was racing again as she let herself hope that maybe her beloved had returned.  
  
"Don't get up, the sickness won't pass for another... three minutes." Harry said this quietly to Malfoy, who responded by becoming violently sick all over his singed robes. Yes, Harry would tend to even his enemies injuries, though, Ginny noticed for the first time, his robes were stained with what she hoped wasn't his own blood.  
  
Ginny turned back to her brother. "What is he doing with Sirius Black, though? Wasn't he working for Voldemort when he was thrown into Azkaban?" Ron looked at her for a long moment, before saying, "I'll tell you about it later."  
  
So that was it. It was another one of their adventures that she was excluded from, that he never told her about. She was a little over a year younger than Harry, yet they still treated her with 'kid gloves.' Despite the joyousness of the occasion, she felt hurt that there was yet another thing that they never told her about, another adventure that they didn't share with her. Hermione was looking at her with something akin to sympathy on her face. Ginny was tired of having everybody's sympathy and nobody's trust, and defiantly turned her attention back to Harry and... Sirius Black, and their captives.  
  
Harry had picked up Lucius Malfoy again, and was motioning for Sirius to follow him. Professor Dumbledore, meanwhile, had already conversed with the staff, and the Head's of House were now starting to herd their reluctant student's towards the exits of the Hall. Ginny was not going to move, and saw that Ron and Hermione were already getting up to go talk to Harry. She noticed Dumbledore talking to him and Sirius in low tones, and motioning frantically toward the same room where last year's Tri-Wizard Champions were briefed on the Tournament.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" Professor McGonagall called out to them.  
  
"We need to talk to Harry!" Ron said, without turning around, though he did stop.  
  
"I can't allow that right now. The Headmaster needs to speak with him and Mr. Black."  
  
"We've been through everything together, Professor! We need to know what happened just as much as Professor Dumbledore does!" Hermione had never spoken out against a Professor before (except for Bartemius Crouch Jr., last years DADA teacher), and was clearly surprised by her own daring. Apparently, so was Professor McGonagall, though she didn't seem angry by her outburst. She seemed to be weighing the situation in her mind, then said, "I stand firm. You are not to go to him right now. However... you may wait here in the Great Hall, if you feel so inclined." With that, she left to guide the rest of her charges to Gryffindor Tower.  
  
"...What do we do now?" Ginny asked.  
  
"I guess... we'll just have to wait." Ron answered. With nothing else to do, Ginny sat down at the Gryffindor table, to wait to be reunited with her hero, her love. 


	2. Acquittal

Chapter 2 - Acquittal  
  
(a/n: As if the summary wasn't enough of a hint, Harry is going to be very out-of-character throughout the story. Just thought I would warn you ahead of time. Though, it can't really be considered OOC, if his actions are based on his need to... um, getting ahead of myself, that will all come later! Nothing really happens in this chapter to advance the plot, it's sort of a filler-chapter. This was originally going to be even longer, but I stopped here so it wouldn't seem to run on forever. Thank you for the reviews! I didn't expect anybody to review, but, come Sunday morning, I find 10 reviews! I was very pleasantly surprised, Thanks! I guess you guys won't allow me to ignore updating for weeks at a time, eh?:D)  
  
It had been three hours since Harry and Sirius had burst into the Great Hall, and neither of them, nor Professor Dumbledore, had left the small chamber in the back of the room. They were all tired, yet Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were not at all sleepy – how could they be, when they would be able to talk to Harry for the first time in over a month? While they were waiting for Harry to show up, Ginny had insisted that Ron and Hermione tell her about Harry's connection to Sirius. Initially, Ron refused to tell her, saying "It's not my story to tell – if Harry wants you to know, then he'll tell you himself." Ginny couldn't help but doubt that Harry would tell her anything – he never did, why should he start now? After being pestered by Ginny for half an hour, Ron finally relented, and told her everything he knew, with Hermione taking over after the point in the story when Pettigrew cursed Ron. Ginny didn't interrupt once through the whole account, though she was in tears when Hermione told her that Harry could have finally escaped the Dursley's, if only Pettigrew hadn't escaped.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me befoer?" Ginny asked of Ron. "It's not as though I can't keep a secret, I never told anybody about those love letters –..."  
  
"Ginny!" Ron hissed through clenched teeth, his ears turning crimson, "THAT is why I never tell you anything! You've got a big mouth!"  
  
Hermione's interest was piqued by their conversation. "Love letters? Who were you writing love letters to?" She gave him a funny-looking smile.  
  
Ron ignored her, as he retaliated against Ginny by singing his personal favorite piece of poetry: "His eyes are as green as a fresh- pickled toad..." he sang out in a high-pitched voice. It was Ginny's turn to redden, and she would have kicked Ron hard, had he not stopped singing abruptly. The doors to the Great Hall had opened again, this time by a much larger entourage. They were led by none other than Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, and he was accompanied by a host of aurors, Ministry workers, and –  
  
"WHAT IS SHE DOING HERE?" Ron yelled out. Ron was pointing at Rita Skeeter, the infamous Daily Prophet journalist. The whole procession stopped for a moment, startled by his outburst, then decided to ignore him and made a beeline for the chamber at the end of the hall. Rita Skeeter alone left the group and made her way toward the three Gryffindors.  
  
"Hello again, Reginald." Rita Skeeter greeted Ron, with a voice dripping with insincere pleasantry. Ginny giggled when Ron turned red in the face and refused her proffered hand.  
  
"My name is Ron." he said, not bothering to cover the hostility in her voice.  
  
"I thought we had an agreement, Ms. Skeeter?" Hermione said, also clearly angry. Ginny looked at Hermione, then at Rita Skeeter.  
  
"Great, more surprises," Ginny thought. "It figures, I guess. The same people that associate with Werewolves, Giants, and murderers would somehow be linked to a professional liar, too." Her thoughts were interrupted when Rita Skeeter began to talk again.  
  
"I haven't forgotten. In fact, I think we should rediscuss the terms of our agreement sometime, hm? I've got some ideas that may be more to my liking. And yours," she said, adding the last bit after seeing that Hermione was preparing to let loose with a scathing diatribe.  
  
"I'll be expecting your owl in the morning, then." Hermione relented.  
  
"And who is this? Another admirer of Harry's, no doubt?" Rita turned to Ginny. Ginny felt a tinge of heat rushing to her cheeks. Rita Skeeter smirked, then made her way to the back of the room. Ginny would have sighed with relief, but an even more unpleasant person greeted them.  
  
"What do you three think you're doing up? You should be in bed by now. Five points from Gryffindor for each of you." Now that Harry was back, it seemed that Professor Snape decided that it was okay to terrorize Gryffindors again. None of them moved. "Perhaps you didn't hear me tell you that you need to go back to your Dormitories. Maybe a detention will help to unstuff your ears." Ron groaned audibly next to Ginny, but was too tired to let his temper get the best of him. "You will see me tomorrow after class so that I can arrange your punishments. Goodnight," he said with a sneer.  
  
They all turned and trekked back to Gryffindor Tower. "Maybe we should just go to sleep. We'll be able to see Harry in the morning," Hermione offered. Ginny didn't want to miss Harry, but was suddenly feeling lethargic. Ron seemed to consider this, and then conceded with a nod. He turned up the stairway to the boy's dormitories and disappeared.  
  
Hermione and Ginny had turned up the stairs to the girl's dormitories. At the door to the Fourth Year Girls dormitory, Ginny paused, then said, "Hermione?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I'm... I'm glad he's back."  
  
"...Yeah, me too. Goodnight." And with that, Hermione was gone.  
  
*****  
  
Ginny woke up a little earlier than she usually did the next morning. She was simultaneously excited and apprehensive over seeing Harry. She was always excited to see Harry, though she was apprehensive this morning because she was afraid of hearing about what he went through over the past month – after all, he had been through some pretty nightmarish ordeals before, and they usually happened within the relative safety of Hogwarts Castle. After idly making her bed tidier, she brushed her teeth twice, spent ten minutes more on taming her hair than usual, and put on her nicest school robes. She wanted to look her best this morning; she figured that after weeks of – whatever it was that he had been doing, Harry would probably be more appreciative of seeing a pretty girl. She blushed self- consciously as she examined her appearance in the mirror.  
  
"It's thirteen minutes after seven, dear. Who are you trying to impress at this hour?" the mirror inquired.  
  
Ginny's face turned an even darker shade of red. "What makes you think I'm trying to impress someone?"  
  
"You wouldn't be preening in front of the mirror if you weren't planning on making an impression." Understanding seemed to dawn on the mirror, as it paused, and then said, "Oh, I see. Harry Potter?"  
  
"Who told you?"  
  
"Every mirror in the school knows, I'm sure."  
  
Ginny mentally slapped herself for being so obvious that even a mirror could comprehend her actions.  
  
"It's not... that bad, really. We all think it's rather... sweet."  
  
"Oh, that's great, now I'm getting the sympathy of the schools mirrors. I'm out of here," Ginny thought to herself. She groaned in exasperation, then left the bathroom. She was planning on going down to the common room and waiting until he showed up, but when she got there, she saw that Ron and Hermione had beaten her there – and neither of them looked very happy. In fact, Ron was outright fuming over something.  
  
"What happened?" Ginny asked upon reaching the common room.  
  
"What the hell is the matter with him?" Ron ignored her question and continued to fume.  
  
"I'm sure he's just tired, Ron. Give him some time." Hermione tried to sound placating, but failed as the worry and doubt made her voice sound tinny.  
  
"WHAT HAPPENED?" Ginny was almost shouting.  
  
"Lower your voice, do you want to wake up the whole tower?" Ron said, then finally explained himself. "I saw Harry this morning –..."  
  
"What did he say? Was he alright?" Ginny interrupted, then felt the familiar rush of heat in her face when she realized how obvious she sounded.  
  
"I'm not going to say, if you keep interrupting!" He waited for her to say something, then, when he was satisfied, continued. "I saw Harry. Do you know what he was doing? HE WAS PACKING! He had already taken most of his things out of the dormitory. I asked him what he was doing, and the only thing he told me was, 'I've been assigned to new sleeping quarters.' That was it, no 'How have you been?', no 'Did they find a replacement Seeker while I was gone?' Absolutely NOTHING!" Ron was the one who was shouting now, and looking very red in the face. "I tried to get him to talk, Ginny, I really did. I didn't lose my temper with him, I just tried to talk. The last thing he told me was, 'I'm extraordinarily busy right now, Ron. I'll talk to you when I have the time. If you'll excuse me, I have to catch up on my studies.' I swear, he sounded just like Percy. I followed him down the stairs, but he just disappeared under the Invisibility Cloak." Ron finally let out his breath, then flopped into a chair by the fireplace, looking like he had been running all morning. Ginny could commiserate – she suddenly felt as tired as he looked. She was silent for a minute, then finally voiced the sole thought that occupied her mind.  
  
"It's not fair."  
  
"What's not fair, Ginny?" Hermione asked, though she was fairly certain that she already knew.  
  
"I wanted to talk to him. I wanted him to include me. I just... wanted him to treat me the way he treats you... I would've settled for that right now."  
  
Hermione gave her that sympathetic look that she was really starting to hate. Ron, crass brother that he was, said, "Well, you've got your wish. Now, he's going to treat everybody the way he treats you."  
  
Hermione turned pale, and reprimanded Ron, though he had voiced her exact thoughts. "That wasn't funny, Ron."  
  
Ron looked her straight in the eyes for a long moment. "I'm not laughing." Ron's uncharacteristic solemnity passed the instant he processed everything Ginny had said and actually looked at her. "What are you all dressed up for?... Ginny, please! I've told you before, I don't want you trying to lure Harry in with your... er... 'girly charms,' even if he is being a prat right now."  
  
Ginny couldn't help but laugh, and Hermione responded the way she always did whenever Ron did something stupid.  
  
"Honestly."  
  
*****  
  
By the time they got down to the Great Hall, most of the school had already started on breakfast. The code of silence that had ruled mealtimes in the past month was finally lifted, as everybody was talking about the mysterious circumstances of Harry Potter's return the previous night.  
  
"How do you think he was able to do magic without his wand?"  
  
"He actually DEFENDED Sirius Black! And Dumbledore didn't stop him!"  
  
"Did you see how he had that guy with the silver hand at knife point? Who was that?"  
  
Most of the conversations sounded the same. Everybody glanced expectantly at the entrance to the hall whenever a student walked in, hoping to catch a glimpse of Famous Harry Potter, and turned back to their own conversations when he failed to make an appearance.  
  
Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were assaulted with questions from their fellow Gryffindor's when they sat down, none of which they could answer. The inquisition only ended when the owls flew into the Great Hall to deliver the mail.  
  
"Look at Hedwig!" Ron had just spotted Hedwig, flying... right out of the Hall? "Come on, let's follow her, she'll lead us right to Harry!"  
  
Ron would have ran after the owl right then, had Hermione not just received her issue of the Daily Prophet. "Ron! RON! Fudge acquitted Sirius!"  
  
Ginny almost fell out of her seat when she tried to get a closer look at the newspaper. There, right on the front page, was a picture of Sirius Black talking to Cornelius Fudge, while some auror's had bound Pettigrew and Malfoy, and were leading them out of the picture. Harry and Professor Dumbledore were in the background and off to the side, talking to some Ministry workers. The headline read: MINISTER OF MAGIC ACQUITS SIRIUS BLACK, HARRY POTTER RETURNS.  
  
The noise level in the Great Hall, only moments prior no louder than a whisper, exploded into a veritable din. 


	3. Eviction

Chapter Three – Eviction  
  
"So that's what she meant," Hermione thought aloud.  
  
"Hmm?" Ron was still having trouble believing that the Minister would actually admit that he was wrong.  
  
"Rita Skeeter. She sent an owl in the night. She said that as long as I kept my mouth shut," and here, she made a face, "she'll spread the word about You-Know-Who's return. Look at the byline of that article, Ron." He glanced up at the portion of the article he skipped, and saw that Rita Skeeter had indeed written it.  
  
" I guess... I guess when she's not spreading nasty rumors, she isn't so bad." It looked as though saying that took a lot out of Ron.  
  
"Do you think Harry really would have wanted her to mention that Sirius is his Godfather, though?" Ginny said, joining their conversation again. "I mean, Pettigrew would have already told Voldemort, but she didn't need to give Them any reminders! He probably won't appreciate this."  
  
"And what do you think will happen to Pettigrew?" Ron asked Hermione.  
  
"He'll end up in Azkaban, same as every other Death Eater, and Malfoy will probably just say that he was under the Imperius Curse again."  
  
"Cowards."  
  
"Speaking of cowards, where's Draco this morning?" Ginny surveyed the Great Hall, and couldn't see him at the Slytherin table.  
  
"I reckon he's probably at home crying to his mummy." Ron looked pleased at the thought of Malfoy breaking down, and didn't notice the owl that was swooping down toward him until it had landed on his head. Hermione reached up and detached the letter from the owl's extended leg. As soon as it was freed of its burden, it leapt off of his head and flew out of the Great Hall. The smirk was wiped off of Ron's face now, as he rubbed his head where the owl's talons had been poking him.  
  
"It must be from one of the professors, it has the school seal..." Hermione muttered, as she cut the hard wax with a butter knife from the table. "Ooh! It's from Professor Dumbledore!"  
  
Ginny saw that it was, in fact, from their Headmaster. Hermione turned the letter so that all three of them could read it:  
  
  
  
Mr. Weasley, Ms. Weasley, and Ms. Granger -  
  
Please see me in my office at your morning break. The password is 'Acid-Pop.'  
  
Prof. Dumbledore  
  
  
  
"I don't even know where Professor Dumbledore's office is," Ginny said. She looked up at the staff table, but it appeared that the Headmaster had already left.  
  
"Harry told me once. He said that there is a Gargoyle guarding the entrance that you have to give the password to." Ron said this quietly, looked around, then leaned forward so that only Ginny and Hermione could hear. "He also told me that the password is always the name of a candy or sweet, and that he once 'guessed his way in.'" He grinned to himself.  
  
This wasn't exactly helpful to Ginny, as she had never seen any Gargoyles inside of the castle before. Hermione must have noticed the quizzical expression on her face, because she said, "We'll meet here at the break, and then go together to Professor Dumbledore's office. I'm not sure that I could find it, myself."  
  
*****  
  
Breakfast was soon over, and Ginny parted with Ron and Hermione. While they were headed for Transfiguration lessons, Ginny had Care of Magical Creatures in the morning. The sky was cloudy and the air was cold, as though it had already snowed. Indeed, the first snow of the season would probably fall within the week. Ginny brought her thoughts to her upcoming lessons – before the Christmas Break the previous year, she really didn't like Care of Magic Creatures. After that nasty article from Rita Skeeter, the lessons actually became quite nice, and Care of Magic Creatures soon became one of her favorite classes. It helped that she was fond of unicorns, and she had always liked Hagrid. During her first year, she used to visit his hut between classes, until she learned that Hagrid had a hard time keeping secrets and told Harry that she would sometimes wait for him there. Still, he was one of the nicest people she knew, and visited him on occasion.  
  
Ginny had moved away from her fellow fourth year's, who were amusing themselves by teaching some twenty-odd Jarvey's new ways to say 'arse,' to ask Hagrid if he'd seen Harry.  
  
"Yeah, I've seen 'im. He's in a bad way, and I don't know 'alf of what 'appened. He's seen bad before, I know, but whatever 'appened this time..." This is definitely not what Ginny wanted to hear. "...Ginny, he's going to need his friends to watch out for 'im... p'raps, you could try to talk to him? He could always use another... 'friend.'" Hagrid's visage was painted with a smile that didn't quite reach his beetle-black eyes. Whenever Ginny visited with Hagrid, he would usually encourage her to talk to Harry. It was a bit of a joke, really; he just said it to see how red she would get. She did blush, but not as much as she would have under normal circumstances. It was disturbing to see him actually try to fake a smile – it was one thing for Harry do it, as he had probably been doing it all his life. But Hagrid? When Hagrid had trouble seeing the bright side of a situation, Ginny knew that things were bad.  
  
She wasn't sorry to leave Care of Magical Creatures for Charms thirty minutes later. She took a certain pride in knowing that she was one of the top Charms students in her year. She just seemed to have a natural talent for making assorted fruits tapdance across her desk or making books fly. Ginny knew that Hermione would still get higher marks than her in any class, including Charms, but there was satisfaction in knowing that she was the best at something, if only in her own peer group.  
  
Ginny was happy when Charms let out for the morning break. She was pleasantly distracted from thinking of her upcoming meeting until Professor Flitwick had asked her if she would ask Harry how he had conjured such a powerful shield charm for him. As much as she adored Professor Flitwick ("He's so cute!"), she really didn't feel much like grilling Harry with questions for his benefit. She knew that Harry probably had her associated with the Creevey brothers in his mind, and she didn't want to encourage that illusion by acting like an irritating groupie.  
  
Hermione and Ron were already waiting for her in the Great Hall when she got there. She had never really been in there before when it wasn't filled to overflowing with students; it looked very strange with only a handful of students at each table.  
  
"What were you doing, dragging your feet the whole way here? Come on, we're going to be late!" Ron said by way of greeting when she joined them.  
  
"Nice to see you, too, Ron. Now, lead the way, I don't know where I'm going," Ginny responded.  
  
*****  
  
"Ron, do you have any idea where you're going?" Hermione asked Ron, after getting lost down the wrong corridor for the third time.  
  
"Of course I do," Ron said, sounding as though he hadn't even heard Hermione's question. Frustration was evident on his face. Ginny knew that it was best to keep quiet whenever he got that look – as the youngest in the family, she was the perfect scapegoat when things weren't going his way. It was becoming increasingly more difficult not to comment on Ron's sense of direction, so Ginny distracted herself by trying to figure out where in the castle she was.  
  
"Ron! That's... that's Moaning Myrtle's bathroom!" Ginny felt faint; she usually avoided this corridor because of the overwhelming nausea that accompanied her terrifying memories of this place. The words that Tom made her write on the wall had yet to fade, despite the best efforts of Filch and his endless supply of Mrs. Skower's Cleaning Solutions.  
  
"Ron, you... you... dunderhead!" Hermione shouted, "You have no idea where you're going!"  
  
Ron's ears turned crimson, and, from the look of pain on his face, was apparently biting his tongue to keep from saying something nasty to Hermione. His face betrayed his curiousity as they saw Filch down the corridor, yelling into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.  
  
"I don't care what the bloody Ministry told you! You can't stay here anymore! I don't care where you go, s'long as it's nowhere on this floor! Don't you dare – that won't change a damned thing! Dumbledore has told me to close off this bathroom, and that means you've got to go!" The caretaker's face was splotched in places, and a vein could be seen pulsing on his neck.  
  
A horribly pathetic wailing filled the corridor, which meant one of two things: either a banshee had taken up residence in Hogwarts, or Moaning Myrtle was having another tantrum. Ginny saw that her latter speculation was true, as Moaning Myrtle came careening down the corridor past them, crying uncontrollably.  
  
"Why would Professor Dumbledore evict Myrtle? Nobody uses that bathroom anymore, and anybody who knew what it hid would avoid it like the plague," Ginny mused. Her thoughts were interrupted when Ron did something that was both very brave and very stupid. He ran after Filch, who was shuffling out of the corridor.  
  
"Excuse me, Mr. Filch?" Ron had a very forced smile on his face. "Mr. Filch, could you please guide us to Professor Dumbledore's office?" Ginny and Hermione closed the distance between themselves and Ron.  
  
He treated Ron with a glare that he reserved for detention-bound students, then shifted his gaze to Ginny and Hermione behind him. "So, you're the little beasties who dropped all of those Dungbombs in the Great Hall, are you? Come to confess, hoping for a lighter punishment? Well, it won't do you any good! The Headmaster wanted to see to your case personally!" He cackled maniacally to himself.  
  
"Yeah, that's right. We've come to confess."  
  
"Ron! What do you think –..." Ginny began, but was cut off by Ron's elbow connecting with her stomach. It was a light blow, but a blow, nonetheless, and the air shot out of her lungs.  
  
"You... you git!" Ginny screeched, sounding very much like an owl, before kicking Ron very hard in the leg. He let out a howl of pain, and fell forward onto the cold stone floor, clutching his leg. Filch dragged him up onto his feet before dropping the bomb.  
  
"Congratulations! You've earned yourselves detentions... that is, if the Headmaster doesn't expel you!" His gleeful chuckles replaced the silence that had followed in the wake of Myrtle's departure. 


	4. Threshold

Chapter 4 – Threshold  
  
A/N: I know I don't do these often, but… Thank you, everybody who reviewed. While I'm not going to drop the story if I don't get reviews, it is rather motivating. One review, in particular… I'm not sure, but I imagine that when Harry isn't around, Ginny is more apt to get in fights with her brother's, as she would have to learn to defend herself against all six of them. Heh, I'd imagine her capable of being just as rowdy as her siblings. Oh, and I'm kind of a fan of your stories, RogueAngel (… One more thing – this story borrows elements from the Magic the Gathering universe. In particular, a few spells from the game will make their way into this story, as well as a few mechanics. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, all I'm saying is that I own nothing, not even the ideas that seem original. Even those are borrowed. Though I'm not sure that anybody has ever thought to integrate elements of Magic the Gathering with… Enough of that, on with the story!  
  
  
  
Ginny's spirits were pretty low when Filch finally guided them to the Headmaster's office.  
  
"Er, Acid Pop?" Ron said to the Gargoyle that was leering at him.  
  
Ginny could not tell whether or not the Gargoyle was a living creature, or merely animated stone. Whatever it was, it leapt aside when Ron gave it the password to reveal a moving-staircase.  
  
"Wow, this is just like an escalator!" Hermione said.  
  
"What's an escalator?" Ron asked. Ginny was about to ask Hermione, herself.  
  
"Oh – it's a muggle invention that runs on electricity. It looks like this one, except that the steps are made of some sort of rubber."  
  
"Weird... alright, that's enough of that, lets go."  
  
The staircase led up a tall, twisting spire, then finally ended at a landing fifteen seconds later. Before them was a thick wooden door. There was nothing spectacular about the door itself, though there was some sort of energy in the air that hinted at the magnificence of the room behind it. Ginny was not disappointed, and neither were Ron and Hermione, who's amazed gasps were rather audible. The walls were covered with portraits of every Headmaster Hogwarts ever had, and were lined with bookcases, shelves, and stands. To Ginny's left was quite possibly the ugliest bird she'd ever seen – it looked very much like a dying vulture. It raised its dull eyes to look at her, and dropped several more feathers onto the ground. A rough sound, which sounded suspiciously like a cough, came from its beak. There wasn't anything very interesting about the bird, so she turned away to examine the rest of the room.  
  
A silver glow was shining through the crack in the largest cupboard behind Professor Dumbledore's desk. Ginny knew from experience that it was best not to examine that further. She looked to her right and saw the Sorting Hat sitting on a low shelf, and below that, on a pedastal, was a gleaming sword...  
  
"That's Harry's sword," she murmured to herself. She must have been speaking louder than she thought, because Ron answered her.  
  
"Hey, you're right! Hermione, come see this! This is the sword that Harry used to kill the Basilisk!" All three of them were crowded around the glass case atop the pedestal now, examining the blade. Ginny remembered that sword fondly – when she first awoke in the Chamber, her eyes were treated to the sight of a very heroic-looking Harry, with the sword tucked into his belt and the Sorting Hat adorning his head. She also remembered that beautiful, fiery-looking bird, flying over his shoulder. That bird...  
  
There was another cough, and then a sound like a lot of paper being torn up at once. They turned to see the ugly bird become engulfed in flames, and then... it was nothing but a pile of ashes and dirty feathers on the floor.  
  
"Bloody hell! What happened! How are we going to explain that to Dumbledore?" Ron looked very scared, and paled visibly.  
  
"What are we going to do?" Ginny asked herself. "We don't need this..."  
  
"I assure you, everything is quite alright." It was Dumbledore. He must have just came through the adjoining room, while they were busy watching his bird die a fiery death. Ginny felt a coldness spreading through her limbs despite the Headmaster's assurances. "Fawkes is usually a rather splendid sight. It is unfortunate that you had to come on a burning day, but time stops for no one, hm?" He smiled at them, his eyes twinkling. Ginny looked back at the pile of ashes and saw an ugly baby bird stumbling among the ashes.  
  
"Ooh, he's a Phoenix!" Hermione squealed enthusiastically.  
  
"Er... Professor Dumbledore... you didn't ask us here to talk about your Phoenix, did you?" Ginny asked, her voice carrying a foreign note of hesitance. Professor Dumbledore sighed, and sat down behind his desk. His face was suddenly very old, and devoid of any mirth.  
  
"You are correct, Miss Weasley. I take it none of you have had a chance to talk with Harry yet?" The Headmaster didn't look as though he was expecting an answer, but didn't look surprised when Ron spoke up.  
  
"I did, if you could call it a conversation. He was... very curt, Professor. He didn't sound like himself, even at his worst... he scared me." Ron sounded very hesitant to say that.  
  
Professor Dumbledore nodded. "So it's safe for me to assume that you know nothing of where he's been this past month, or what happened to him." He paused. "I suppose that you have already assumed, from the appearance of Messers. Malfoy and Pettigrew, that the Death Eater's were involved. You would be correct. I don't feel comfortable sharing the full details yet, because, frankly, I don't know everything that happened myself, and because it is not my story to tell."  
  
"But you can tell us something, can't you?" Ginny asked. She met the Headmaster's gaze and quickly looked down.  
  
Professor Dumbledore was silent. He leaned back in his chair, steepled his fingers, and closed his eyes; apparently, he was in deep thought. A few moments later, Ginny was ready to ask if he was still awake when he started talking again.  
  
"Have any of you heard of the condition known as 'Breaking Threshold?'" He opened his eyes.  
  
"I've read a little about it," Hermione said. "When the witch or wizard's 'threshold of power' is broken, magic starts to work differently for them – before that happens, they must draw magic to them, using a wand. However, after they have broken 'threshold,' magic draws itself to them – they become a sort of magical magnet, and their powers increase exponetially." She stopped and looked at the Headmaster. "Am I right so far?"  
  
"Yes, please continue," he said, a note of amusement in his voice. Ginny just looked at Hermione. 'Ron was right about one thing – Hermione is like a living encyclopedia.'  
  
"Well, there really isn't much else. Supposedly, the influx of magical energy leads to madness. I say supposedly, because there has never been a case of somebody breaking threshold." Hermione threw a superior look at Ron, whose mouth was hanging slightly open.  
  
"Very good. You're wrong, however, about the last part."  
  
Ginny had to fight very hard not to laugh at the shocked expression on Hermione's face. Oh, to be told that she was wrong – by the Headmaster, no less!  
  
"There have been at least three cases of a person breaking threshold in the last century alone. The first person was myself." He looked somewhat distant as he said that last part. "It took a great deal out of me, destroying Grindelwald. It should have killed me. And for a long time afterward, I wished ..." He shook his head, and the pained look on his face disappeared.  
  
"But... you're not... mad, Professor." Hermione said, choking on the words.  
  
He smiled. "It all really depends on your definition of madness, Miss Granger. I'm pleased that you would vouch for my mental status, in any case. Now, the second and third cases of a person breaking threshold happened on the night of Halloween, 1981."  
  
Ginny felt icy all over. She felt like retching. The pain on the Headmaster's face was unmistakable now, and obvious.  
  
"Both cases happened simultaneously in Voldemort and your friend, Harry. Voldemort and Harry were both unusual, even for threshold cases. Voldemort, rather than draw power to himself, lost almost all magical ability, among other things. However, the reflected Killing Curse did not kill him, which in itself was a 'miracle.'" Professor Dumbledore spat out the last word as though it were a mealy bit of food. He now looked very ancient, and he probably was, for all Ginny knew; she had no idea how old he was. "Harry broke threshold the moment the Killing Curse struck him. Harry's case was unusual, because, as a 15-month-old child, he could not contain the great energy inside of him, and thus, would release his energy in a rather destructive manner. It is widely believed that the failed Killing Curse somehow destroyed his parent's house. This is impossible. I am certain that Harry did it himself, when he had to release his magic for the first time."  
  
The Headmaster leaned forward, and spoke in a lower tone. "Can you imagine how dangerous it would have been, to be the guardian of a child that could incinerate your entire house with a mere thought? Something had to be done. I spent much of the following day placing enchantments on Vernon and Petunia Dursley, while Hagrid was keeping Harry hidden at Hogwarts. I could explain the mechanics of the spells, but for lack of time, I will say only their effect: to safely siphon off the vast power that Harry contained. They also acted as the basis of the wards that were placed around Number 4, Privet Drive. ...I was planning on restoring the energy to him after his seventeenth birthday, when he would be better fit to deal with it. Thanks to Voldemort, this is no longer necessary."  
  
This did nothing to ease Ginny's mounting feeling of dread.  
  
"To make an extraordinarily long story short, he ordered his Death Eater's to kill the Dursley family in order to destroy the wards protecting Harry. The magic in the Dursley's didn't just dissipate, though – it was all forced back into his body at once. I imagine that it must have been extremely painful for him..."  
  
Professor Dumbledore looked pensive for a moment. "Do you wonder how Harry managed to escape, unarmed, from the Death Eater stronghold and still manage to bring back two prisoners?"  
  
Ginny, Ron, and Hermione all said, "Yes," at the same time.  
  
"Unarmed?" Hermione asked, after she recovered from that awkward moment. "And why didn't he have his wand with him that day? Why, he was badgering us to remember our wands right before we left for Hogsmeade. What was he thinking?" It had been awhile since Ginny, or anyone else for that matter, had seen Hermione properly nag somebody, even if he wasn't there.  
  
"I assure you that Harry was thinking properly that day, for he told me that he had his wand with him right until Wormtail crushed it into powder. Now, back to what I was saying... yes – so, how did he escape, and with prisoners? The truth is, that they were not, in fact, prisoners. They were survivors. Yes, every Death Eater within a mile of Harry at the moment that he was pushed too far was incinerated... That is the destructive nature of power; once you have it, can you really control it? Harry can't... not completely, in any case. This is the problem with us 'magical magnets,' as Miss Granger put it; the path of our ascension to power is peppered with death and despondency. Harry feels great guilt over the death's of so many at his hands, even if they did want him dead. That is... one reason why I called you three to my office this morning – when Harry returns to classes on Friday, I want you to see if you can't get him to be friendly again, as that will be a sure sign that he is coping. He has said, in previous conversations, that he admires you three most out of all of his friends."  
  
'Harry admires me?' Ginny thought to herself. She immediately felt a slight bit better about what the Headmaster just told her. Her elation must have been apparent on her face, because Professor Dumbledore nodded at her and smiled warmly. Ginny was too happy to blush.  
  
"Hold up – you said Harry's wand was destroyed? Now he won't stand a chance against You-Know-Who in a duel – he told me that his wand was the last defense he had standing between him and the Killing Curse! How will he defend himself?" Ron looked worried again, as though this new problem were so much worse than everything else he just learned of.  
  
"There is no need to be alarmed about that, Mr. Weasley. I have already arranged..." Professor Dumbledore's eyes focused on something behind Ginny, Hermione, and Ron, "Some new defenses for Harry. In fact, I'm a bit late in delivering them. If there is nothing else..."  
  
There was something else, Ginny thought to herself. "Professor? Er... thank you for trusting me with all of... this, but I don't really have any classes with Harry. How am I to help him?"  
  
The Headmaster's face lit up. It was funny how similar the expression was to some of the characters in Ron's comic books that Ginny sometimes read. "Ah, yes, there is another matter that I wish to speak with you about." He wheeled his chair back, reached underneath the desk, and, after a few moments of shuffling rolls of parchment about, finally found the one he was looking for. He smoothed it out on top of his desk. It appeared to be a roll-sheet, except that there were no names filled in yet.  
  
"I would like to give you the opportunity to be the first to sign up for a new after-hours club that will be starting at the end of the week. The purpose of this program, in a nutshell, is to teach students how to prepare for the worst, and, of course, to alleviate some of their fears about the war. Also, the instructor will get around to teaching how to fight a proper duel. I trust that he will do a better job than Professor Lockhart did. He certainly has better credentials..." Professor Dumbledore lowered his voice conspirationally. "I would appreciate it if you would not tell anybody that I have allowed you to sign up for this club in advance; we wouldn't want anybody to think that I'm showing favoritism, would we?"  
  
"But that doesn't explain how I'll be able to help Harry..." Ginny blushed when she said that. It always felt... awkward... for her, when she talked about Harry. "And who is the professor that will be teaching us? Will it be Professor Flitwick?"  
  
"Firstly, you will all be able to keep track of Harry because I know that he will be joining you for your extra-curricular lessons. And, no, your instructor will not be a Hogwarts professor. In fact, he is a student, whom you all know rather well."  
  
"We know him? Who is he?" Hermione asked, as she finished signing her name to the parchment.  
  
"Why, he is your friend, Mr. Harry Potter." 


End file.
